J-1 Exchange Visitor Program
E-3, H-1B, O-1, and TN Employment
General Information
J-1 Exchange Visitor Program
DS-2019 Initial Requests
We will no longer accept DS-2019 Initial Requests for start dates in the months of September, October, and November. Many of the U.S. embassies and consulates remain backlogged in visa services and have not returned to normal, pre-pandemic processing times (VOA-US Visa Processing Delays Called Worst Since 9/11). This has led to Exchange Visitors (EVs) needing to amend start dates because they are waiting for their visa interviews or administrative processing. Please remind departments and faculty sponsors to adhere to the three-month deadline for new J-1 EV requests. Amendments usually require additional work like revised invitation letters or PNF.
If you are currently working on a request with a start date earlier than December 1, 2022, please contact Janet Murasaki (A-M) or Pei-Chin Liao (N-Z) to check if a RUSH request is possible. If you have already consulted with us on the request, then you do not need to contact us again.
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E-3, H-1B, O-1, and TN Employment
H-1B, O-1, TN, and E-3, and EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 Requests
Since U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is paper-based, hard copies of all nonimmigrant and immigrant petition requests are required. Electronic/Digital signatures on forms will suffice. Please note that there is only one checklist for each visa type and not by action (i.e., entry, extension, change of employer, etc.). Please continue to submit hard copy packets to FSIS for processing at least two months prior to the intended start/extension date.
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General Information
Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders
The following Presidential Proclamation is still in effect:
The Presidential Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic. All “noncitizens who are nonimmigrants” traveling to the U.S. by air from any part of the world must establish that they are fully vaccinated. “Noncitizens who are nonimmigrants” are H-1B, J-1, O-1, P-3, TN, E-3, B-1, B-2 visa types, and their dependents H-4, J-2, O-3, P-3D, TD, and E-3D. At this time, we do not have any information as to when the PP will be terminated.
The Presidential Proclamation suspending entry of Chinese students and researchers connected to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) “Military-Civil Fusion Strategy” (MCF). This proclamation suspends entry of those who seek to enter the U.S. pursuant to an F or J visa to study or conduct research in fields that contribute to MCF strategy and who either receive funding from or who are currently or have been employed by, study at, or conduct research at or on behalf of, an entity in the PRC that implements or supports PRC’s MCF strategy. The proclamation does not apply to undergraduate students. Only those who meet all three criteria – field of study, affiliation with a MCF entity, and graduate level or above – are subject to the visa restriction.
- The key technologies targeted under MCF include quantum computing, big data, semiconductors, 5G, advanced nuclear technology, aerospace technology and AI. Consular Officers at U.S. embassies/consulates worldwide will make this determination.
- Please be advised – if you are planning to invite a J-1 EV from China who is a graduate student or researcher in a STEM field AND is receiving any amount of China Scholarship Council (CSC) funding, their J-1 visa application is likely to be denied by the U.S. embassy/consulate officer. So far, all of the J-1 EVs who FSIS issued a Form DS-2019 that are from China in a STEM field receiving CSC funding have not been able to enter the U.S. due to PP 10043. If the J-1 visa is refused (denied) or revoked, the $160 application fee for the J visa will not be reimbursed. If the J-1 EV decides to cancel their program because they are unable to obtain a J visa, they will also lose the $220 I-901 SEVIS fee. Without a J-1 visa, they will not be eligible to participate in the J-1 EVP. At this time, we do not have any information as to when PP 10043 will be terminated.
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